Tieback



C. F. ALLEN April 25, 1944.

' TIE-BAGK Filed Sept. 15, 1942 IN VEN TOR.

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Patented Apr. 25, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

My invention relates to window or door curtains, and has among its objects and advantages the provision of an improved tieor hold-back. Conventional tie-backs are usually of the type wherein a screw fastening is employed for securing the device to the window casing. Such a fastening not only mars the window trim or woodwork when the device is removed or shifted to a new position on the trim, but it makes cleaning and refinishing of the trim a difiicult task.

Attempts have been made to devise a tie-back bent from sheet material to provide a tongue which slips between the trim and the wall for anchoring purposes. Such devices avoid the foregoing objectional features of the screw type, but frequently the spacing between the trim and the Wall is such as to prevent the tongue from securing a firm anchor.

Accordingly, an object of my invention is to provide a tie-back designed to avoid the objectionable features of screw fastening devices, in addition to employing all advantageous features of the tongue anchoring type, but in which the tie-back incorporates means for firmly securing the tongue between the trim and the wall under variable spacing conditions.

A further object is to provide a tie-back of the type described wherein a tongue is arranged to slip between the trim and the wall to anchor the tie-back and in which the tongue is provided with a resilient anchoring element operating to compensate for variable spacing between the trim and the wall to the end that the hold-back may be easily shifted from place to place on the trim, readily removed for trim cleaning and refinishing purposes and firmly secured regardless of the spaced relationship between the trim and the wall.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is an elevational View of a window illustrating my tie-backs applied thereto;

Figure 2 is a cross sectional view of one side of the window trim illustrating the manner in which the tie-back is anchored between the trim and the wall; and

Figure 3 is a perspective view of the tie-back.

In the embodiment selected for illustration, the tie-back ID of Figure 3 is formed from a single piece of metallic strap bent at [2 to provide a tongue [4 to slip between the trim or woodwork IB and the wall I8. The strap is bent again at to provide a portion 22 arranged at right angles to the portion 24 extending from the bend I2.

The portion 22 is bent back upon itself at 26 to provide a loop 28 constituting a holder for a tie-back rope or ribbon 30. The side 32 of the loop 28 inclines in the direction of the portion 22 and has pressure engagement therewith, as at 34. The material of the tie-back is easily resilient to provide the necessary pressure engagement between the side 32 and the portion 22 to effectively retain the ribbon 38. The free end of the side 32 is bent outwardly, as at 36, to provide a throat or space 38 constituting an entry for the ribbon 30 as it is pressed into position inside the loop 28.

With the tie-back it anchored in accordance with Figure 2, the portion 24 lies in engagement with the outside edge 40 of the trim IS. The portion 24 is of such length as to bring the portion 22 substantially flush with the outside face 42 of the trim. It is seldom that the space 44 between the trim l6 and the wall I8 is the same for difierent windows. In fact, the space frequently varies at difierent vertical positions of the trim. To compensate for such variation to the end that the tie-back may be firmly anchored, the portion I4 is severed within its perimeter and bent to provide an anchoring finger or key 46. The key 46 lies at such an angle to the portion 14 as to provide pressure engagement between the key and the trim l6 under conditions where there is a considerable space 44, which space may be of such size as to render an ordinary tie-back of the tongue type inoperative. Key 46 is resilient and therefore adjusts itself to variable spacing conditions. Thus the tie-back is anchored firmly regardless of the space into which the tongue [4 is pressed. The tie-back may be shifted easily from place to place and eliminates all marring of the woodwork. While the tie-back is anchored firmly in position for curtain-holding purposes, the device may be removed easily for shifting purposes or when cleaning or refinishing the woodwork.

An ornament 48 may be secured to the side 32 of the loop 28.

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully illustrate my invention, that others may, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt the same for use under various conditions of service.

I claim:

A tie-back comprising a metal strap bent to provide a tongue receivable between window trim and the like, and a wall to which the trim is attached, said strap having a first right angular bend extending from said tongue and a second right angular bend extending from said first right angular bend, said second right angular bend being bent back upon itself to provide a loop opening in the direction of the trim to receive a curtain or curtain holding means, and a resilient finger on said tongue projecting out of the plane of the latter to fixedly secure the tongue between the trim and the wall, said loop being resilient and open but yieldingly pressed to a closed position.

CARL F. ALLEN. 

